This application is based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. 11-046689 and 11-162536 filed on Feb. 24, 1999, respectively, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an information displaying apparatus, and more particularly to an information displaying apparatus having a display(s) comprising a liquid crystal element or electro-luminescence element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printed matter using paper as the medium is widely used today in order to provide information over a large geographical area. However, printed matter has the problems that (i) it is discarded as trash after use and (ii) there is concern regarding the depletion of forests that are used as a resource for paper pulp. To eliminate these problems, the inventors of the present invention are developing an electronic book system as a new information providing system. In other words, development is underway to create a system in which information, which has conventionally been printed on paper, may be distributed in the form of a digital information recording medium and the information may be read by the user by means of a displaying apparatus. An example of such a displaying apparatus includes a displaying apparatus comprising liquid crystal elements or electro-luminescence elements. If this electronic book system is established the consumption of paper itself may be reduced, which in turn may alleviate the problems of waste and resource depletion.
Information that may be provided in this form includes all types of printed matter, including books (paperbacks, weekly magazines, monthly magazines, trade journals, etc.), newspapers and advertisements.
Books in the form of digital information will be distributed by the issuer (manufacturer) as information recorded on recording media. A general user who owns (or leases) an electronic book apparatus (information reproduction displaying apparatus) will insert the recording medium into the main unit of the electronic book apparatus and read (reproduce) the information.
In order to make such a system a reality, the electronic book apparatus must be small and thin, like a conventional book, and be able to, display two open pages together and be opened anywhere. The display for such a system must consume a small amount of power to enable the power supply to be compact. In addition, in, order to further reduce the weight and thickness of the electronic book apparatus, reflection type displays that do not require a light source should be used. Preferably, the electronic book apparatus should be mounted with a reflective liquid crystal display that has a memory function and does not require power supply in order to maintain the display of information.
The object of the present invention is to provide an information displaying apparatus that offers the ease of use of a conventional book.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information displaying apparatus that is small and thin and can display images on multiple screens.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an information displaying apparatus with a display drive unit having a simple construction.
In order to attain these and other objects, the information displaying apparatus pertaining to the present invention has multiple display areas that are separately provided on a single support plate. By having multiple display areas (displays) on a single support plate, the amount of information that may be displayed increases and the right and left pages may be displayed in the style of a conventional book. Further, because multiple displays are electrically connected on a single support plate, the drive means may have a simplified construction. The display areas may be either monochrome or color. In the case of color, multiple units comprising an R layer, G layer and B layer stacked together are mounted on the support plate. In this case, the R, G and B layers of the various units may be electrically connected to each other, or the R, G and B layers of a unit may be electrically connected to each other before the units are electrically connected.
Moreover, in the information displaying apparatus pertaining to the present invention, display substances that display R, G or B, respectively, are sandwiched side by side between a pair of transparent substrates and the pair of transparent substrates is then folded over so that the R, G and B display layers may be stacked on top of one another. In this way, three display layers (for color display) may be manufactured in one process in which the display substances, which each display each of the three primary colors, are placed side by side between a pair of transparent substrates, resulting in reduced variation in performance among the display layers and increased production yield.
In particular, where each display layer is driven by means of scanning electrodes and signal electrodes that are located in the form of a matrix, if the scanning electrodes are electrically connected among the display layers, only one drive means (driver) is required, resulting in compact size and low cost. Further, it is also possible to construct the image forming apparatus by means of multiple color displays, one unit of which comprises three layers. If the scanning electrodes are electrically connected among the units, one drive means (driver) may be shared by all units in this case as well.
It is also preferred that the information displaying apparatus pertaining to the present invention use a reflective liquid crystal display having a memory function. For the liquid crystal, liquid crystal that shows the cholesteric phase at room temperature (such as chiral nematic liquid crystal) is preferably used. Liquid crystal of this type that has a memory function does not require the use of glass for the substrate and therefore does not entail the risk of damage. In addition, it is easy to control the molecular orientation in this type of liquid crystal. It also has a large field of view and is not subject to uneven performance when used in a large screen. Moreover, because it has a memory function, it does not consume power to maintain the display, which is economical, is not adversely affected by noise, and is capable of maintaining the display even if the power supply is shut down.
In particular, if the construction in which a chiral nematic liquid crystal material and resin bodies are sandwiched between transparent plastic film is used, a thin and lightweight information displaying apparatus that is highly resistant to external force (such as bending and impact) may be obtained, which is most appropriate for a portable information apparatus such as the electronic book that the present invention aspires to help realize.